A case has been filed against Md Abdul Halim, father of National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Nusrat Tabassum, over alleged house demolition, land grabbing and looting in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia.

Idris Ali, a resident of Bagowan village, filed the case with Daulatpur Police Station on Saturday. Abdul Halim, 55, is the sole named accused, while eight to 10 unidentified people have also been accused, police said.

According to the case statement, Idris bought four kathas of land from Nusrat’s uncle, Mahfuzur Rahman Monju, around five years ago and built a house there. He alleged that Abdul Halim had been trying to occupy the property and had threatened to evict him on several occasions.

The complaint alleges that on September 13 last year, 8–10 people armed with sticks, iron rods, hammers, sickles and other locally made weapons vandalised Idris’s house on Abdul Halim’s instructions. They also allegedly looted property and beat Idris and his wife, Mina Khatun, leaving them injured.

Idris said he delayed filing the case because he had first tried to seek a local resolution but failed. He also alleged that Abdul Halim filed a counter-case against him the day after the incident, following which he was arrested and sent to jail.

After securing bail, Idris returned to the area and found that Abdul Halim and his daughter Nusrat had occupied the land, according to his account. He said he later left the area out of fear and took shelter at his in-laws’ home in another village.

The case comes amid controversy over a fire at a part of Nusrat’s ancestral home in Bagowan, Daulatpur, late Wednesday night. Nusrat alleged that petrol bombs were thrown at the house and blamed local leaders and activists of the Awami League, which was ousted from power during the July uprising.

However, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told Parliament that investigators had found no evidence of a petrol bomb and that an electrical fault could also have caused the fire. He said the incident was under investigation.

Nusrat had filed a separate case the day after the fire, alleging an attempt to kill her parents and other family members by setting the house ablaze. The case accused unidentified members of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organisations.

Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Khaledur Rahman said the case filed by Idris had been registered and was under investigation.

No immediate response was available from Nusrat or her father regarding Idris’s allegations.